Author’s note: The catastrophic failure of the heavily traveled I-35 West bridge in Minneapolis on August 1 once again highlighted the importance of a robust multitiered, multihazard emergency response; highly adaptable emergency plans; and a thorough understanding of collapse search and rescue protocols by firefighters and other responders.
First responders frequently are being called on to deal with incidents involving "jumpers" and other emergencies in which the victims are threats to themselves (and others). Larry Collins has some scenarios and photos to illustrate such incidents.
Incident commanders on the scene of major terrorist attacks and other emergencies resulting in structural damage or collapse are often faced with a “go” or “no-go” decision: Can they commit first responders to immediately enter the structure to begin life-saving operations with a reasonable assurance that what remains of the structure (or the collapse pile itself) won’t come down on their heads?
High-angle rescues tend to involve one or two victims-perhaps a hiker who has become stranded on a cliff; individuals in a vehicle that has driven off a mountain road; or other individuals who have gotten themselves into a predicament requiring firefighters and other rescuers to use ropes, cables, capstans, helicopters, and other high-angle rescue methods.
In mid-afternoon of August 30 (Hurricane Katrina made landfall at 6 a.m. on August 29), FEMA Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) “White” IST Leaders Rick Martinez [chief of the Sacramento Metro (CA) Fire Department] and Dean Cathey [assistant chief of the Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department] completed their initial tasking at the federal staging area at Stennis Space Center.
In Part 1 (SEPTEMBER 2005), we reviewed the effects of the Christmas 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamis that killed more than a quarter-million people and discussed how that catastrophe should be seen as a harbinger for potential future disasters affecting coastal zones in the United States and other nations vulnerable to tsunamis.
The ensuing operation required hydraulic rescue tools, a rescue saw, a new gasoline- and oxygen-based cutting torch, and imaginative rescuers who were compelled to administer an unusually high dose of morphine to the victim, who screamed in agony through much of the rescue.
The following incident is an example of the occasional failure of measures and laws intended to protect workers in trenches and excavations (in this case, the failure of the employer to require adequate safety measures).